Tales of the Fall
by Quatermass
Summary: These are the strange tales of Harry Sitri, Rias Gremory, their Peerages and friends, and their insane world. Short story collection from the world of "Fall to Zenith"...
1. Foreword

**FOREWORD**

 _Fall to Zenith_ is rapidly becoming one of my most popular fanfics. But as I continue writing it, I find some ideas for that story won't go away, even if I can't fit them into the main story proper. Having done a similar collection of fics for my _Borderlands_ series _The Ballad of Ricky and Angel_ , I thought this might be another rich field to plough.

These are plot elements that either were left off in the main story and not looked at again, or else bits that don't really fit into the main story, but are intriguing scenes. For example, we'll have what really happened to Nagini, or Akeno's reaction to the Cruciatus Curse. There might even be some AU things. Stuff like that.

Anyway, usual disclaimers, as (mostly) copied and pasted from _Fall to Zenith_. Firstly, there _will_ be spoilers for both Harry Potter and _Highschool DxD_.

Secondly, there will be a lot of annotations. I don't want to hear any bellyaching about my annotations, so if you don't like it, bugger off.

Thirdly, this is an M-rated work. While the sexual references will be toned down somewhat, this is still _Highschool DxD_ , Issei will be a character in this fanfic, so, yeah. Plus, violence and language, and a few disturbing themes.

Fourthly, as mentioned above, there will be bashing of Dumbledore and Snape. You have been warned.

Finally, the following is a fan-written work. Harry Potter and _Highschool DxD_ are the property of their respective owners. Please support the official release. Otherwise, Raynare might get a bit stab-happy with her Light-Spears…


	2. Tale 1: The Ultimate Sadomasochist VS

**TALE 1:**

 **THE ULTIMATE SADOMASOCHIST VERSUS THE CRUCIATUS CURSE**

Harry looked at the wand in his hand, and then back at Akeno Himejima. "You know this is insane, right?" he asked Rias' Queen.

"No, just unusual," the dark-haired buxom beauty said with a smile.

Remus Lupin, who had become Harry's Bishop, was looking on, and facepalming. "Akeno, I don't think you have an idea of what you're asking for."

Akeno kept smiling. Harry and Rias had only just gotten married a few days ago, and had gone through the ritual that had equalised their powers (and gotten a memorable night of carnal delight into the bargain). At the moment, the only ones inside the clubroom of Kuoh Academy's Occult Research Club were Harry, Hermione, Remus, Rias, Koneko, and Akeno. The others were out making contracts.

Hermione looked askance at her fellow Nephilim. "I thought you were more of a sadist than a masochist."

"I'm a bit of both. But you're right, Hermione. I'm more into giving than receiving. But that doesn't mean I'm not curious. The Cruciatus Curse has fascinated me for a long time. I just wanted to see if I liked it."

"One of the three Unforgivable Curses, the one that causes excruciating pain, and drove Neville's parents insane…and you want to have it cast on you," Remus said flatly. After a moment, he said, "I'm glad Neville's out making contracts. If he saw this happening, he'd pitch a fit. All because you want to indulge your kink."

"Pervert," Koneko opined in her quiet monotone as she nibbled on a stick of dango. Not that she meant any ill-will by it. Koneko and Akeno were friends after all.

"Anyway, it's not like it'd work," Hermione said. "The Cruciatus Curse requires hatred to function, hatred and sadism. There's nobody in this room, or in the Peerages, who'd want to do that. And as far as I know, consensual BDSM doesn't actually have any true hatred or sadism in it per se."

"That is true to a degree. What you said about the Cruciatus Curse, anyway," Rias said. "But pushing magical power into it also helps. Think of how water moves through a hose. Think of sadism and malice as a nozzle. Now, you could have a lot less water going through the hose, but the nozzle gives it direction and power. But you can get a similar result with more water flowing through the hose. You won't be able to sustain the Cruciatus for long, more like a second at most. It'd be enough for Akeno to get her little taste of the Cruciatus. Either the power of a Devil or a Fallen should help."

"I hope these wards prevent the Japanese Ministry from detecting it," Harry muttered, still not liking this one bit. "They'd be down on us like a ton of bricks if they detect us using this."

"They will. And I've got sound-dampening wards as well. And I'm not asking any of you to do it more than once," Rias said. "I'm asking you to do this purely as a favour to my Queen."

Harry, Hermione, and Remus looked at each other, before Hermione stepped forward. "I'll do it."

"Oh my, Hermione. Still sore about that prank I played on you when your mother was training me?" Akeno asked.

"Amongst other things. This isn't about revenge, though. I got you back for that booby-trap. No, this is because I'm curious about what'll happen too. Plus, I don't think Harry can muster up any ill-will for you."

"Whereas you can?"

"Only a little. This is gonna be weird," Hermione muttered, before she pointed her wand at Akeno, who merely licked her lips in anticipation. " _CRUCIO!_ "

The curse lasted for all of a few seconds, because Hermione didn't actually feel much ill-will towards her fellow Nephilim (and most of that was from Akeno and Hermione being somewhat fractious towards each other when they first met), though she pushed as much power as she dared into the curse. Akeno convulsed and screamed loudly (though whether in pleasure or pain, it was impossible to tell), her eyes rolling up in their sockets, before she subsided, unconscious.

Rias went over to her Queen, Koneko following soon thereafter. "Is she all right?" Hermione asked hurriedly, regretting having gone along with this perverse experiment.

Rias nodded. "She'll be all right. She'll just need a rest."

"She is in a mild comatose state," Koneko said. "Multiple climaxes in a few seconds." After a moment, she added, as an afterthought, "Pervert."

In the depths of her comatose state, Akeno murmured softly, "Thank you, sir, may I have another?"

As Hermione gently but hastily wiped her wand, as if it had done something dirty (it had), she remarked to Harry, "And the sad thing is, this is far from the weirdest thing to happen here."

Remus shook his head. "Believe me, between this place and what the Marauders used to get up to, I've seen stranger. Doesn't mean I like it."

"Don't worry, Hermione. Akeno definitely enjoyed that, though I'll have to make sure that's a one-off thing," Rias said. "There is, after all, such a thing as too much of a good thing."

"Thank whatever deity is listening for that," Harry muttered.

 **TALE 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **I originally thought of this as an idea for the main story, but when I thought about this little collection of omake tales, I thought this should be front and centre. And yes, apparently Akeno is a masochist (according to TV Tropes), she's just more into the sadism side of BDSM. I just thought this would be what happened if Akeno did get the Cruciatus Curse applied to her. And yes, I made that crap up about how putting more power into it might make it usable when the user bears little ill-will towards the victim.**

 **This is set a couple of weeks before they get Issei. Thank goodness he wasn't around to witness that, huh?**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	3. Tale 2: Leviathan and Snake

**TALE 2:**

 **LEVIATHAN AND SNAKE**

In the years since Harry Potter became Harry Sitri, it was noted that Serafall Leviathan, his cousin, had obtained a new member for her Peerage, a Pawn. She was a mysterious woman, perhaps in her thirties, with yellow, slit-pupilled eyes, green hair, and a (figuratively) venomous tongue. Oddly beautiful, in an aloof, forbidding way. Issei Hyoudou, when she finally met the woman, would give her a solid 8.5 out of 10 (losing points because of her attitude and general creepiness). And that was _after_ he had learned what she used to be.

Harry, Hermione, and their friends from Hogwarts were rather ambivalent about Serafall's Pawn. They knew who she was, and what she was. The only thing reassuring them was that Serafall, for all her frivolity, kept her Pawn on a fairly tight leash. Then again, said Pawn was lucky, considering what had happened to her former master. And considering that Serafall nearly made a meal of her when they first met.

Nagini's life was stranger now that she was Serafall Leviathan's Pawn. But it wasn't that bad.

For example, in what other line of work would she get to play one-on-one beach volleyball with her former master? Or the man her master hated?

* * *

With a snarl, Nagini sent the 'ball' hurtling into Serafall's side of the court. It bounced with a scream of pain and fear, crashing into a nearby tree, before sliding down to the ground, its eyes swirling spirals.

"Game, set, and match," Nagini declared, putting her hands on her hips. She was dressed in a snakescale-patterned one-piece swimsuit, and she had to admit, it felt good to wear. Better than those appalling costumes her new master kept trying to force her into. Like magical girl costumes, kinky villainess stuff, and at one point, Serafall seemed determined to make her cosplay as a female Orochimaru. That was actually one of the better ones: Nagini thought she would have made a good Orochimaru. Being his familiar would have been better than being Voldemort's, too.

"That's not fair, Nagini-chan!" Serafall pouted, dressed in a swimsuit that didn't really qualify as 'decent' for someone her (apparent) age. And even in swimwear, she went for all the frills and things one would expect from a magical girl costume. She even wore that stupid hat, for crying out loud! "And 'game, set, and match' is what's said during tennis, not volleyball!"

Nagini facepalmed. "Muggle games are too bloody confusing. At least in this, you can understand why they do it. For titillation. But don't get me started on cricket. At least Quidditch is easy enough to understand. How's my former master?"

Serafall marched over to the penguin sitting at the base of a coconut tree, and peered into its concussed eyes. "Bouncy-bouncy, dood!" Bitch, AKA the Prinny Formerly Known as Voldemort declared. "I'm bouncy! You're bouncy! Nagini's bouncy! I never thought I'd see the day when Nagini would need a bra, dood!" And with that remark, Voldemort fell unconscious.

Nagini facepalmed again. Her former master had a point, though. Changing from a snake to a human form had its upsides and downsides. One of the downsides was breasts. True, they helped attract people rather than make them run away screaming, but it was having to learn to use a bra that got on Nagini's tits, in more ways than one.

They were currently on a beach in the Underworld. Okay, it wasn't exactly a sunny day, considering the sky was perpetually purple, but then again, it was better than the flames of perdition. And as surreal as the beach was with the purple sky, and the Devil she was currently playing beach volleyball with, it wasn't too bad.

"New ball?" she finally asked.

"New ball. And yes, we're playing with Wether(1)."

Nagini grinned, showing her very sharp teeth, including her fangs. "Oh, _good_." She was looking forward to putting the Prinny once known as Albus Dumbledore through some pain.

* * *

Afterwards, they did some sunbathing (insomuch as one could sunbathe in the Underworld), while the Prinny who was once Dumbledore mumbled about snorting sherbet lemon powder in a nearby cage. Voldemort was currently being petted by his former familiar, pressed between her breasts, and mumbling about how they were clearly his Horcruxes, for they were of a prodigious size. They were certainly big, though not as big as some (Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima's came to mind).

"So, what's going on topside?" Nagini asked, mostly out of boredom. She liked sunning herself, a hangover from when she was cold-blooded (and it was one of the few things she hated about her former master, taking her to Britain, which was ridiculously cold), but she also got bored easily.

"Oh, nothing much. Apparently Rias-chan and Harry-chan are looking at some Sacred Gear bearer. Oh, and they may have to protect one from Italy, Asia Argento. She's an adorable thing, from the pictures. Maybe I can persuade darling Harry-chan to let me give me the chance to introduce Asia to the world of cosplay."

"Haven't you done enough of that with me?" Nagini asked exasperatedly.

"No such thing as enough cosplay, Nagini-chan!" Serafall said cheerfully.

 _The scary thing is_ , Nagini thought, _she's one of the Four Great Satans, the rulers of the Devils. AND she's in charge of foreign affairs_. Still, it could have been worse. As loyal as she was to Voldemort, having his soul share room with her own was not really that pleasant. And while she was treated well by Voldemort, Serafall practically pampered the snake-turned-woman. It made the antics of her new master easier to tolerate.

Nagini sighed, putting her hands behind her head. Yeah, life was good as the Pawn of Serafall Leviathan…

 **TALE 2 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Nagini as Serafall's Pawn. I hope you liked it, despite the weirdness. As for where the Dursleys were, well, they got knocked out earlier in the game.**

 **1\. As mentioned in** ** _Fall to Zenith_** **, 'wether' means a castrated goat. This became Dumbledore's name when he was turned into a Prinny by Serafall.**


	4. Tale 3: Claustrophilia

**TALE 3:**

 **CLAUSTROPHILIA**

While Rias' Peerage was very much a collection of the strange and the damaged, perhaps the strangest (though most damaged was highly debatable) was her Bishop, Gasper Vladi. Harry took it in his stride nowadays, especially as he had an older cousin who looked younger than him and dressed in magical girl outfits that were a touch on the saucy side. Oh, and one of his best friends turned out to be half-Fallen Angel, and he turned out to be a Devil.

But Gasper was pretty strange for a number of reasons. One, he was a dhampir, half-vampire, and half-human. Two, he was a transvestite, and could pull it off with disturbing ease for a young teenager, looking like a cute little blonde girl with pointy ears. Three, he was, thanks to both his power and the abuse of his family, a major shut-in, what the Japanese would call a _hikikomori_. Four, he lacked the ability to control his Sacred Gear, the Forbidden Balor View, though he was getting better, thanks to Harry, Rias, and Hermione visiting him at least once a week.

Today, about a week after the wedding, it was time for the weekly visit. Hermione and Akeno were training under Hermione's mother in their Fallen Angel abilities. Rias was currently playing chess against Souna Sitri, a game that Souna had scheduled some time in advance. The various Peerage members were doing other things, so Harry was left to see Gasper. Not that he minded this: he liked Gasper.

Harry walked through the clubhouse, until he came to the door leading to Gasper's room. It had a 'Please Knock' sign on it. With a sigh, he rapped on it gently. After a while, a high-pitched, nervous voice asked, "Hello?"

"Hi, Gasper. It's just Harry. May I come in?"

"…Okay."

Harry opened the door, and found the effeminate dhampir seated at the computer, typing away. Harry recognised it as the special program Rias and Sirzechs set up, allowing Gasper to make contracts remotely. He was easily Rias' best earner in that regard, making more contracts a night than any other member of the Peerage. Of course, there was that whole thing about face-to-face customer service, which was why Harry, Rias, and their Peerages usually did so in person.

Gasper finished his current contract, looked at Harry…and then suddenly, was in his coffin, his power being used to freeze time temporarily, and allow him to get back to his coffin. He preferred being seated in his coffin while talking to people most of the time, even those he was familiar with. Hermione called it claustrophilia, an enjoyment of confined spaces.

Harry sat down on a stool next to the coffin. Gasper looked at him with a shy smile. "Where's Rias? And Hermione? And Neville?"

"Rias is playing chess with my cousin. Hermione's off training with Akeno. And Neville's gone to see the Weasleys with Luna."

Gasper nodded. He didn't mind Luna in terms of her character, but Luna was a bit too strange (even for a transvestite dhampir) and a bit too cuddly for the agoraphobic boy's liking. He wasn't offended by anyone not coming to see him: he liked his solitude.

"How's having Rias as your wife, Harry?" Gasper asked out of curiosity. He didn't go to the wedding (too many people, obviously), though he had a webcam feed of the event.

Harry nodded. "Pretty good. It's not really that much different from having her as a friend, just with a lot more overt responsibility. After all, she's the Heir to the Gremory family and I'm next in line after Souna for the Sitri family. Oh, by the way, I got you some more Blood Pops. Hermione's dad is getting those books you wanted, too." He proffered a bag to Gasper, who took it, plucked out a Blood Pop, and began licking it. Gasper hated blood, but Blood Pops were another matter, even if Blood Pops were made with real blood.

The two Peerages of the Occult Research Club was basically a big family, and Gasper, to Harry, was the shy little brother who needed coaxing out of his shell. Not only that, but coaxing him out of his shell might help with Gasper's control over his own Sacred Gear, Forbidden Balor View. It allowed him to freeze time in his field of view. Rias had compared that power once to Dio Brando from _JoJo's Bizarre Adventure_ , and when Harry confessed his ignorance of that series, it had been the cue for her to sit him down to a marathon of the anime. About the only things Gasper had in common with Dio Brando was that he was a vampire who could stop time. That being said, Rias once managed to get Gasper to yell out "ZA WARUDO!" It didn't match the macho Dio Brando at all, but it was adorable in its own way. Though Gasper drew the line when steamrollers got involved: Rias had let her inner otaku run away from her when she suggested that.

As he watched Gasper have his Blood Pop, Harry contemplated the similarities between them. Considered freaks by their blood relatives, feared and hated for their power that they didn't know how to control, kept confined…though Gasper liked being confined. It was more about it being on his terms. And, of course, they were made soldiers by other powers, though Rias was much better than Dumbledore for a number of reasons. One, she actually gave a shit about Gasper. Two, she told Gasper up-front about what being her servant would entail. Three, Gasper was actually allowed to make his own decisions. Four, Rias actually was grateful for his help making all those contracts remotely: Gasper had a surprising flair for it.

Harry hoped that soon, Gasper had grown confident enough to be able to control the Forbidden Balor View properly. As it was, he was nearly there, Harry was sure of it. Sirzechs, who had visited the dhampir recently, agreed: Gasper was better than he was when Rias first got him. Not quite there yet, but it was an improvement. There was a lot of power locked up in the dhampir: they just had to get him used to it.

He remembered what Voldemort's puppet, Quirrell, had said, years ago, in the chamber where the Mirror of Erised had been kept. That good and evil did not exist, that it was only about power, and those too weak to seek it. Harry disagreed. Good and evil, when it came to power, was about what you did with that power. Gasper was to be admired on that much alone, for he had a ridiculous amount of power within him, but he was scared of it, partly because he didn't want to hurt people. And given how crappy his childhood was, and to come out of it still giving a shit about people, well, that was admirable.

They spoke for a little while longer, until Harry decided it was time he left Gasper to his own devices. He stood, and went to the door. "See you next time, Gasper," he said with a smile.

Gasper returned the smile, albeit shakily. "Yeah. See you later, Harry."

And with that, Harry gently shut the door to Gasper's room. Hopefully, one day, he and Rias would manage to draw the nervous young dhampir out of his shell. In the meantime, the best he could do was reach out a hand, and hope that one day, Gaper would take it…

 **TALE 3 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Just a nice little chapter detailing Harry and Gasper having a moment of friendship. In case you're wondering, I've never read or watched** ** _JoJo's Bizarre Adventure_** **. I really only know of the similarities between Gasper and Dio Brando (superficial though they are) from TV Tropes.**

 **I've got a good idea for another chapter, though: Ron Weasley and Souna Sitri playing chess.**

 **Review-answering time!** **jgkitarel** **: We might have that in either another short story for this one, or in the sequel to** ** _Fall to Zenith_** **.**

 **Guest** **: I'm aware, thanks to TV Tropes, where Akeno got her sadomasochistic tendencies from. I'm glad you liked both stories so far, assuming you're the same person.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	5. Tale 4: An Unlikely Bond

**TALE 4:**

 **AN UNLIKELY BOND**

It was during the reception of the wedding of Harry Sitri and Rias Gremory that two unlikely souls found common ground.

By this point, Ronald Weasley was well aware that his friend was a Devil, as was his new wife. It took him some time to come to terms with that, but he and Ginny eventually accepted, along with the other Weasleys, the invitation to the wedding. He decided, along with his mother, that as long as Harry was still a good sort (and he had gotten rid of Voldemort, after all, more or less, and that was without going into Harry's donation of his vault to their own), he didn't care. Ginny still fumed a little, but she was seeing Colin Creevey, the two finding some common ground in their interest in Harry.

It was strange, Ron thought, looking around the room in the building in Japan. The only thing really marking the Devils apart from the humans here were, in many cases, their attractiveness. Rias' brother looked only a few years older than she did, and was quite handsome. And that was without going into Hermione, who turned out to be a bloody Nephilim, of all things! And she looked like a bloody goddess!

Rias, Harry, and Hermione were talking to Rias' parents, as well as a woman in a maid outfit called Grayfia. McGonagall and Hagrid were holding forth in conversation with Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. His mother and father were talking to Fred and George, along with Neville. Ginny was talking to Luna and a strange, silver-haired girl called Koneko, who was apparently some sort of magical cat in human form. Percy was talking to Sirzechs, the guy who was, apparently, one of the four rulers of the Devils, and Rias' brother.

Ron felt out of his depth here. So when he saw a table with a chess board set up on it, he wandered over, and sat down. Hermione had actually told him some time ago that he could, depending on how good he was, earn quite a bit of money in chess tournaments, as long as he was willing to play Muggle chess. Ron had put that to the test over the last couple of summers. He'd actually managed to win quite a bit of money, and while it might not be a steady source of income, it would help supplement whatever job he got.

As he contemplated the chess board, someone sat down opposite him. He looked up, to find a girl about his age, with dark hair and violet eyes glinting behind glasses. If he remembered correctly, this was Sona Sitri, one of Harry's cousins, and the Heir to the Sitri family. She certainly didn't look anything like a Devil. The other cousin, Serafall, was bloody weird, though, dressed up in some weird witch's costume (and she had been the celebrant of the ceremony, which made things memorable, to put it politely). He had seen Sona briefly at the Yule Ball three years ago, more or less. She had been escorted by Neville Longbottom.

"I remember you, Ronald Weasley," Sona said, sitting down across from him. "I am Sona Sitri, Harry's cousin."

"Pleased to meet you," Ron said, albeit with little sincerity. Not that he couldn't be pleased to see her, it was just that he was so out of his depth, dealing with Devils, that he wasn't sure what to truly make of them. Harry and his new wife was one thing: he knew Harry, in the end, was a decent enough guy, and it wasn't like he'd go around marrying someone who made Voldemort look like a kitten. But the other Devils were, to some degree, an unknown quantity.

"Hermione and Harry told me you played chess very well," Sona said. "Would you like to play a game?"

Ron looked at her warily. "And if I lose?"

Sona smirked slightly. "I won't be taking your soul, if that's what you're afraid of. It is rare that we take peoples' souls in exchange for services. Generally, we take more material goods. Voldemort was foolish enough to offer his soul in exchange for power, and even more foolish to try and renege on the deal. And in any case, I am more interested in a game for its own sake, to see how good you really are. I will be honest, despite chess' popularity amongst our people, I rarely get to play against really good players outside of my Peerage, or Rias. Harry told me of a time when you had to play a 'live' chess game, so to speak, when you were trying to prevent someone from stealing the Philosopher's Stone. A shame he couldn't remember all the details: I could have analysed the game, see how you play. Even Hermione didn't remember."

Ron pursed his lips slightly, before sighing. He made his move, having sat on the side with the white pieces. Sona raised an eyebrow, before making her own move.

What followed was a silent dance of pieces across the board, tactics brought out, discarded, or committed to. As the game went on, Ron had to admit, he was enjoying himself. This was one of the best challenges he had, outside those Muggle tournaments. And that time with the Philosopher's Stone, he thought. If it hadn't been such an urgent matter for them to thwart Quirrell (though at the time, they thought it to be Snape), and the violence of that game of massive animated pieces, he might have enjoyed it more.

Eventually, Sona quietly declared, "Check and mate."

Ron stared at the board, analysing it, before nodding resignedly. "Bloody hell, you're good."

"In less vulgar terms, I would reciprocate," Sona said, pushing her glasses up her nose. "It seems neither Harry nor Hermione were exaggerating when it came to your skill. A most enjoyable match, Ronald Weasley. Perhaps we should play more games. If you're willing, we can play postal chess. It's rare that I can play with an excellent opponent."

"Umm, okay. I actually enjoyed that." And the fact was, Ron wasn't kidding. He actually enjoyed playing against this girl, even if she was a Devil.

"Well then, I look forward to further games, Ronald Weasley," Sona said with a smile. And Ron, despite the fact that she was a Devil, actually felt glad, in a way. He had made a new friend in Harry's new world…

 **TALE 4 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Kept you waiting, huh? Sorry about the wait, but I never got around to finishing this chapter initially. It's a nice little one, though. Ron cops a lot of flak from the fandom, and while he doesn't exactly get the prize, I wanted to give Ron a nice little moment that showed he got a small happy ending. He might make an appearance in the sequel to** ** _Fall to Zenith_** **, when it comes out. I don't think he'll end up with Sona, but the two become friends over chess and other games of strategy.**

 **I've got another** ** _Highschool DxD_** **crossover, but not with Harry Potter. This one is with** ** _Final Fantasy IX_** **, the first such crossover AFAIK, and it involves Vivi being reincarnated as Issei. It's called** ** _Black Mage of Kuoh_** **, and it might interest you.**

 **I have one question for readers, though, and I'm asking because I have an idea. When did Ophis establish the Khaos Brigade? Only, I have a brilliant idea for a chapter: Luna meeting Ophis.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


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